Operators of complex systems, such as aircraft, are often faced with a challenging work environment where their task load varies between a very low level, during which they can become inattentive and drowsy, and a very high level, during which they can become overloaded and prone to poor performance. Vacillating between under-load and overload conditions can increase stress in operators, which can have potentially adverse consequences. Further, operators in these environments are often faced with frequent distractions.
The design goals for next generation air traffic management (ATM) include increasing system capacity by allowing pilots and airlines more responsibility to manage routes, aircraft separation, and to generally have more authority to make changes to the flight profile. However, pilots and airlines may also be responsible for flying more precise routes, planning further ahead, and coordinating with other aircraft to resolve potential conflicts. These changes may result in the need for more adaptive automation of the flight-deck to handle the increased complexity, precision, and flight crew responsibilities.
One of the challenges associated with adaptive automation systems is not only how real-time tasks should be divided between human operators and automation agents, but how operators may be informed of such task divisions. Currently configured display devices typically do not provide such feedback, and do not support shared task execution in a manner that explicitly displays the progress and automation contribution to an operator.
Hence, there is a need for a user interface device that provides explicit, dedicated feedback regarding the division of automated and operator tasks and/or supports shared task execution and/or displays the progress of operator, automatic, and shared tasks. The present invention addresses at least these needs.